29 August 2008
The Electoral Commission has announced plans for a controversial revamp of the British electoral system in an effort to persuade more people to vote.
In a report published on August 27, the commission said the rules on running elections should be simpler. It proposes the setting up of independent electoral management boards to support and co-ordinate elections in Scotland, Wales and six English regions.
Its report, Electoral administration in the UK, calls on the government to consider a national register of individual voters, which could include a photo identity card to be produced at the ballot box. This would replace the current system, where the 'head of the household' provides the names of all eligible voters at the address.
Commission chair Sam Younger said: 'The planning and running of elections need to be more robust and co-ordinated. We are still trying to run twenty-first century elections with nineteenth-century structures and the system is under severe strain.'
The report also suggested strengthening the powers of returning officers, and extending the role of the commission 'to ensure that all those in charge of running elections report against consistent standards on their performance in running elections, and in encouraging people to register to vote'.
Younger said the plans were 'designed to allow returning officers to continue to respond to local circumstances while ensuring there is a consistently high standard of service for all electors'.
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